Light through the Darkness
by xenobicorn
Summary: This is a Soul Eater story with my two original characters, Hiraki and Deco. When the two are accidentally transported to 1930s Chicago in order to get rid of a witch, they have a figure out a way to get back. However, the witch is a little harder to deal with than expected. Turns out she may have a relation to Deco.
1. Chapter 1 - Find a Way

"We've been through all of this to get this magic tool to take us home, and now you're telling me there's no way out? How?" Hiraki asked, despair taking full control. "Deco, how?"

"Hiraki, listen. There's…there's no way home now. Look, we've all made mistakes. This one was mine. Hiraki, I'm sorry," Deco whispered.

"Deco, you're telling me that we've done all this, risked our lives to get this tool just…just to be stuck here in this alternate reality, this nightmare forever?" she asked, deep navy eyes wide, golden rims dull.

He nodded slowly, then suddenly brightened. "Unless…" He smiled, wide.

"Unless what, Deco?" Hiraki asked, then paused, suddenly catching on. She matched his smile. "Unless, we reboot the system."

Deco nodded enthusiastically, "Remember you said that the magic tools don't work unless powered by a very strong soul?" he asked.

She nodded, understanding fully where this was going.

"And this city has a soul. Chicago is alive. I remember you saying that when we first arrived here!"

He thought back.

 _"This is Chicago? In the twenties?" Hiraki asked me. I nodded._

 _"Yeah, this is my home town. She's something isn't she?"_

 _"Mm. It's almost as if…as if she were alive, as if she had her own soul."_

 _She smiled her wonderful smile at me, golden rimmed navy eyes full of wonder._

 _"Yeah. Chicago…is probably…the most human out of all of us."_

Deco smiled again. But now, Chicago was dead. His smile faded, aqua eyes shifting to a dark shade of deep blue sea, cold and icy lake water.

"Deco?" Hiraki finally asked, "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" He looked up, pulling out of his thoughts. "Oh, well…" He looked down. "Chicago's dead. We can't bring her back to life."

Hiraki shook her head, eyes suddenly hardening. "Yes we can, we just have to…find a way."

She was silent.

Then suddenly, she muttered, "Trade will save the wasteland."

"Trade will save the wasteland!" she said louder, looking back at Deco. "All we need to do is lift the quarantine and pull people back in!"

She grabbed him by the shoulders, and he froze. Looking into his glacial blue eyes she grinned, "We need to give Chicago human life! Only that way will she be able to live again! And then we'll hook up the key directly to her soul and go back to the future!"

His eyes softened back to their usual mix of aqua blues. Once more he nodded, and she released him.


	2. Chapter 2 - Fight

They finally pulled people in. Chicago began once more to throb with a faint pulse of life. But another question came up.

"Hey, Deco?" Hiraki asked one morning as they sat on a bench on the lakeside. The air was cool.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know _where_ Chicago's soul is?"

He paused and sighed. "Yeah. We…we have to get past…her."

He breathed deep, almost trembling.

"Who?"

"Florence. My godfather Al Capone's main weapon," Deco responded.

"Oh."

Hiraki remembered Florence. Deco had told her that she was somewhat like a mother to him since Al Capone had killed his parents in need of money and a weapon. But Deco, being a sword, had been somewhat useless, so Florence, who was a tommy gun, was the more powerful one.

Deco was quite afraid of her.

"Chicago's soul is in the depths of the city. To get there, we're gonna' hafta' take the sewer system or the metro system. Florence will be guarding the soul and keeping it from going full awake. You see, Al Capone was afraid the city would give him away. As if! Anyways, it's safer by the sewers, but it'll take longer. What I'm proposing is that we follow the metro tracks, the purple line, and head in towards the center that way. I'm sure we'll have to fight something. Positive," Deco spelled out a plan.

Hiraki nodded slowly. "Okay."

They did. The plan went along smoothly, nothing to deal with, nothing to fight, until three quarters of the way there.

There were cockroaches under the city. Big ones.

Hiraki turned to Deco and was about to tell him to turn into a sword, but, as if reading her mind, had already done so. She caught him blade down with her left hand and flipped him to her right. His golden blade glinted in the light of the fluorescent subway lamps on the walls. The art deco style designs on his blade flickered with an ominous red light. There was a faint glimmer of purple.

Hiraki gripped his hilt tightly, full in control and relaxed with his weight in her hands but tense nonetheless. The long blade stretched out menacingly in front of her. She took a step forward, into the darkness where she had seen the cockroach scurry off to.

Fully enveloped by the dark, Deco gave off a faint aqua glow.

"You said it went this way," she whispered.

"Yeah, we gotta' kill it before it brings more and ambushes us. Those things know why we're here."

Hiraki clutched the sword tighter. They continued further into blackness.

"Deco?"

"Hmm?"

"Uh…if I fail to…uh, kill the things and they get me, will…would…would you protect me?" she asked tentatively.

The sword in her hand seemed to freeze up.

"Yeah…I…yeah…of course, I would, I'm you're weapon, right? I'm supposed to protect you…uh…why?" he finally answered.

"Well, I…dunno'…I was just…never mind…" she responded. Her head was bowed to the ground.

Deco smirked. "Yeah…right."

He was about to say something else when there was a sudden screech. It was from a cockroach.

Hiraki cursed under her breath, and swung her sword down to bring it on the cockroach. But being the indestructible bug that cockroaches were, it refused to die.

Again she cursed under her breath. The thing had not a scratch on its black, shiny exoskeleton. How was she supposed to kill it!

It leapt at her, and she deftly blocked it, managing to flip it on its back where it proceeded to lay squirming and try to flip back over. This gave Hiraki an idea. She stabbed the soft underbelly of the thing, and with a single burst of bug blood, it died.

Deco transformed back into human form. Grabbing the soul, he ate it and made a face.

"Tasted like cockroach," he finally said, "And bug spray."

Hiraki smiled, trying to hold in laughter.

"Do you think more will come?" she finally managed to get out.

"Nah, we can move on."

He reformed into a sword again. The red in his decorations had faded to a dull glow, but the purple that had been faint before was now much, much stronger. _A witch_ , Hiraki thought. _But who?_

"She's here," Deco whispered slowly. "Right here, in the shadows."

Hiraki looked but could see nothing. There was a faint chuckle before she hit.

With a blow to her head like fire, Hiraki was knocked to the ground by an unknown force. She got to her feet, head pounding. The shadows in front of her gathered thickly, swaying in her eyes, afraid to transgress into the light that she was standing in, the same light from that single fluorescent subway lamp flickering in fear, clinging to the wall like it was the only life support.

"Who are you," the shape that was still amongst squirming shadows asked, a woman's voice deep and husky, "to come here? And why?"

Something slithered and shifted in the dark in front of Hiraki and reached out a single finger to stroke her chin. Hiraki tensed, feeling Deco's hilt freeze up with her. The shadow's touch was like fire, but like ice at the same time.

The shadow traveled down her body, stopping all too abruptly when it reached Deco.

"What's this?" the woman's deep voice asked. "I know this sword."

Hiraki stared wide eyed. She'd thought Deco had been making up the story to impress her. And to find it was true? Impossible!

"This…was…is…my son," the woman said, morphing out of the shadows and stepping into the light. "I've missed him, haven't I, Art Deco Gabriel? Hmm?"

Hiraki could feel Deco's soul quiver in fear. He said nothing. Florence towered above Hiraki, at least a foot or two taller. She had on a short pastel pink flapper's dress that glittered and sparkled and a headband with a feather. Her curly blond hair enshrouded her face in a deep golden glow. All was stained with smoke, like a building worn down by the cruel face of time. She smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting up calmly like a mother's would. But Hiraki knew better. Now that she knew the stories Deco told her were true, Hiraki knew that Florence was no mother of any sorts. She was just as cruel and neglectful as Al Capone had been.

"What's your name?" Florence asked. "And why do _you_ now control Deco? I've never laid eyes on you."

Hiraki didn't speak, but she felt Deco twitch in her palm.

"My name is Hiraki, ma'am," she finally responded.

"Hiraki? That's…a beautiful name," Florence said.

Hiraki shivered. _She had said it like she'd meant it!_ But she knew better than to trust this woman.

"Are you from the twenty-first century, Hiraki?" Florence asked, and Hiraki nodded.

"So you're here to kill me."

The statement was like a punch to the face. Hiraki opened her mouth to say something, but Florence interrupted.

"I knew it," she said, icy blue eyes cold. "Then at least let me see my son again."

"He is not you're son," Hiraki growled.

"Mm. Really? What do you know? And why haven't you attacked me yet?" Florence asked, her deep voice now edging on Hiraki's nerves.

Hiraki tensed further, raising Deco slowly up.

"Not so fast. Let me see my son," Florence ordered.

"Never!" Hiraki pulled back, embracing the light.

Florence's blue eyes narrowed. "Then, since you won't cooperate, I'll take him myself."

Hiraki's navy eyes widened. "Never," she growled.

"Who's to stop me?" Florence asked, a grating edge to her voice. She reached out a long tendril of shadowy smoke and grabbed the sword from Hiraki's hands. When she didn't let go, Florence reached into the shadow alongside her and pulled out a tommy gun exactly like Deco's. _It came out of the shadows, out of nowhere! Like…like…Deco's. He's got control of the shadows! He's…he's one of them._ Hiraki began to shiver. Feeling the tug on her weapon, she tried to pull Deco closer. Florence raised her gun and fired, hitting Hiraki square on the shoulder. She felt the voices inside her head get louder with each square inch of shoulder the shadow bled into. And she let go of Deco. _He's one of them._

"Not so powerful as I thought," Florence chuckled and pulled the sword in. He glowed in the darkness, one ray of hope that he and Hiraki would ever make it home.

"Ugh, what have you done to him, Hiraki? He's burning! I can't handle him well at all!" Florence gasped. She waved him back to human form.

"Well, well, Deco," Florence glimmered. His eyes were full of fear. "It's been a while. You've changed. I have to say, you've gotten to the point where you're much more handsome than Al himself."

Deco took a step back, trembling and flushing red, but Florence put a hand on his shoulder, freezing him in place.

"Don't go anywhere," she ordered.

He obeyed. Out of fear maybe, but he obeyed. _He obeyed._ Hiraki realized. _He's one of them!_ Hiraki sighed.

"He's one of them," she muttered.

Deco glanced back. Catching her shocked face, he paused, turned back to the woman who claimed herself his mother.

"Florence!" he spoke, deciding to get over his fear for Hiraki's sake.

The woman stared down, and he cowered.

"What do you want with me?" he asked, voice weaker than when he'd said her name.

"You're soul."

"My…no…No! I…I won't let you! No! I won't let you!" Deco squeaked.

"Who's to stop me?"

"Me!" Hiraki screamed and reached out. Deco changed with out being ordered. She caught him hilt down and flipped him to her right hand. "I'm to stop you!"

"I'm a witch," Florence smiled.

"A…a…" Hiraki deflated, Deco clanged to the ground and he formed back to human.

"A witch?" Deco whined, "You…you can't be a witch!"

But catching Hiraki's despondent face, he paused again, then decided to help her out. Grabbing Hiraki by the shoulders, he stared into her eyes.

"Get yourself together. I didn't know either. But now…We. Can. Win." His voice was strong. He had to get over his fears someday, didn't he?

With that he formed back into a sword, and Hiraki regained her courage.

"A witch. A freakin' witch! You bloody lier! How?" Hiraki screamed, standing on her toes to stare the woman in the face.

Florence only smirked. "You have death scythes. We have witches. I gained this. Al Capone earned it for me. He worked me until I had the power to win the world over ten times. He wanted to become invincible. This was the best way. But I failed to save him from imprisonment, failed to free him from Alcatraz and ever other prison he was put into. All because of you death scythes. That's why I'm disappointed in you, Deco. I'd thought you'd be able to save Al Capone. But you turned good. You were a traitor!"

"I was not!" Deco shouted, screamed, forming once again back to human form, his hand lingering in Hiraki's far longer than necessary before slipping out. His aqua eyes were a mass of frothing blue sea, a storm dead set on getting every ship Man had put on Nature's waters to control her. He'd gotten over his fear, and it was now replaced by fury. "I was forgotten in a church two days before Al was captured! I was loyal to him! I did what I thought was right in _his_ name! I was evil to my very soul! But what did he give me? Nothing. I was abandoned, you hear! Forgotten! Ignored! And why? Because he preferred guns over swords. Because I was too young. That was not my fault! And so that century I waited for someone, anyone, by then I didn't care anymore, to help me back to my feet! And when the century was up, I had finished with those evil. I wanted something better. Do you even know how it is to be abandoned? On purpose? By your own master, your own grandfather by law? _To be abandoned by family?_ " Deco raged, his voice slipping into a Chicago accent as it usually did when he couldn't control his emotions. "You don't. You would never. You're a witch for God's sake! And both of you neglected me! If you think you care so much for me, then why am I not at you're side? Hmm? Because you don't."

With that he formed back into a sword, mumbling curses in Italian.

Hiraki felt his tense metal hide beneath her and promised to never forget him, never abandon him like _Al Capone_ , she growled at his name, had. But with Hiraki's calm, protective touch, Deco was soothed and quieted, slowly.

Florence on the meanwhile, was taken aback. "Al Capone abandoned you? He…he would never! Oh, Deco, I'm so sorry! Come join me! I will protect you from harm."

Deco's voice rang out, "Did you protect me from harm then? And Hiraki? I won't leave her like you left me!"

"But…she can come, too…You wouldn't abandon me, I'm you're mother."

The voices in Hiraki's head were agreeing. She struggled to push them away.

"NO!" Hiraki screamed, both at Florence and at the voices. "I'll…I'll never join the dark side! I…can't…won't!"

"But you seem unsure," Florence whispered, and Hiraki's eyes went wide. Florence was right.

"How about," Florence continued, "You decide when I've finished you off. Then we'll see."

She flashed a wicked grin and raised her tommy gun once more. With that she fired.

Hiraki ducked, deflecting the blast with Deco's blade. He sparked but didn't complain. She stabbed at the shadows, but they only retreated an inch away, no further, no less. Florence was nowhere to be seen, she'd probably had morphed back into her shadows.

"As long as I have the light," Hiraki whispered to Deco, "I'm sure she'll stay away."

"Mm," he answered.

Again, Hiraki struck out, this time successfully clanging her blade against Florence's gun. It warped and shifted around the glowing light of Hiraki's sword until it finally dissipated.

Two pinpricks of blue light widened, then squinted narrowly before disappearing altogether.

The fluorescent light on the wall flickered ominously before going out completely.

"Deco…" Hiraki whispered, "The light's out."

"Mm," he answered again. "I glow."

"But not strongly enough," Florence replied wickedly.

Florence's smoke shadows were pressing in tightly around the weapon and master, thick and black and suffocating, straining to kill, just like smoke, just like a pack of wild dogs. And Hiraki could swear she could smell fire.

"Be on guard," Deco said, "She could be anywhere."

Anywhere.

She was behind them.

"Behind you, Hiraki!" Deco shouted, a moment too late. Florence struck out, and Deco immediately put himself between her and Hiraki. And Florence lashed out, slashing him with her shadow straight down his front. Red blood seeped through the tear in his coat.

"Deco!" Hiraki screamed. "You okay?"

Nodding, he drew in a stuttering breath before glaring back up at his "mother," eyes that frothing stormy sea color once more.

"Deco?" Florence asked timidly, "Are you really still on Death's side? Don't lie."

Deco paused, growling. He could sense Hiraki behind him. If he'd lived with Al Capone forever, he would have never met her. He would only have known Helen. And Helen was a girl who never took anything seriously, a girl who was weak and dependent, a girl with a weak soul. But Hiraki's…Hiraki's was strong. She took everything seriously, was strong and independent. She was better. Maybe the best. And so he decided.

"Yes," Deco finally stated, and he was sure. "Yes, I am on Death's side."

And the shadows wrapped around him, smoke engulfing him whole, but not before Hiraki could grab hold of him. With that, hand in hand, he transformed back to his sword form for the last time during the fight. Hiraki raised him up, and without need for communication, they soul resonated, wavelength's matching up and aligning perfectly, so perfectly that even Florence was afraid. Deco had never been able to soul resonate that well with Al Capone! Al Capone had never been able to resonate that well her herself either! She took a step back as massive white wings sprung from Hiraki's back.

"You…you can't kill me! I'm a witch!" Florence stated unsurely. Her fight for Deco had lost, and now she had nothing to fall back on. She was weak, she knew she was weak. But she was a witch, she thought, so she thought she knew she could win.

"Oh yes I can!" Hiraki screamed in return, bringing Deco down, his blade massive and edged with blinding light.

 _The sword of purest light, will bring down witch's might._

 _And before sun sets, all will be reset,_

 _The world will return to normal, nothing will be terminal._

Florence gasped, understanding fully the meaning of the situation. All her work to become the demon god would be erased! She had to do something! And so she shrouded herself in smoke and disappeared.

"Where'd she go?" Hiraki asked.

"To your right!" Deco responded. "No, your left! No, in front! Over! Under! Behind! Hiraki, I can't grasp her location!"

"Then we'll clear all the shadows!"

Brighter the pair glowed, chasing away any smoke that lingered. And Florence was exposed.

Hiraki didn't pause, didn't stop. She just ran all out, straight for Florence. She hated her. Hated her so much. For what she'd done to Deco. For what she represented. For her trickery, and her insistence on taking away Deco from her. For her corrupting ways. For everything she was. Hiraki hated her with all her soul. She let out a ferocious war cry and launched herself at Florence.

"SOL RADIUM!" she screamed and lifted into the air, wings going from feather-made to wings of pure light. Instead of tipped with light, Deco became a blade of blinding pure white agony, the art deco designs engraved on his blade aqua in color and rippling with massive pulses of energy. Hiraki's eyes flashed, gold glinting like a camera lens in the sun. She brought Deco down, cutting through the shadows like butter and splitting Florence in half. As she dissipated into smoke, her face twisted as she shouted her last words.

"I will never forget you, Art Deco Gabriel! I will hunt you to the ends of the earth for this! Goodbye! I WILL COME BACK!"


	3. Chapter 3 - Slow Down

"Do you know where to go?" Hiraki asked.

"Should be around here somewhere."

He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"That way," he said and pointed. Hiraki nodded, trusting him.

"Through the shadows. Okay," Hiraki said. Deco transformed into a sword without her saying anything. He glowed.

The two moved through the thick smoke shadows and into a corridor beyond. The smoke was gone, so Deco transformed back.

Hiraki looked at him, calculating.

"Are you sure flashlights don't work?" she asked.

"Dunno'. Never tried."

Hiraki flicked on her flashlight. "No, it doesn't. Them fudging shadows are still there."

"Eh," Deco responded.

"There's gotta' be a better way to glowing than by transforming back and forth, back and forth," Hiraki questioned. "Doesn't it take energy to do that?"

Deco contemplated this.

"Yeah…Let me try something." He squinched his eyes shut and shivered. He began to glow.

"Uh…okay…" Hiraki said, disturbed, "That's…weird."

Deco turned to her, eyes glowing pools of light. "Heh, I know."

He studied his hands, face screwing. "God, really disturbing."

He looked around him, at the pool of light he'd created with his aqua glow. "This is just…wrong…Hiraki…wrong on so many levels."

"And how!" Hiraki agreed. "You've got stars." She pointed out. He did.

"Great. Now I'm some kind of sparkle unicorn. That's wonderful, Hiraki. It was all your fault in the first place," he stated simply, glaring at her sarcastically.

Hiraki couldn't help it. She laughed. She laughed so hard she cried.

"Heh, heh!" she giggled as she leaned on the wall of the corridor, clutching her sides. "Heh! You are so…heh…God! Stop it!"

Deco smirked at her. "I know."

He suddenly drew in a sharp breath, light flickering out. "Ow…"

"Deco?" Hiraki asked in concern. "What's wrong?"

"That was pure shadow, right Hiraki?" Deco asked, voice weak.

"Yes, what about it?"

"I can't handle pure shadow…Hiraki, that may have been a fatal injury," Deco spoke softly.

Hiraki turned to him. "No. I won't let you die. Come on, let's get home," she commanded gruffly.

"But…it hurts…it hurts my soul…"

Hiraki's eyes dilated. "Deco…let's at least try to get home. You won't die here. You won't die at all."

They walked in silence to the end of the corridor. When it opened up to reveal a small room with a basin in the center that held something…grey…and something…

"Do you know what that is?" Hiraki asked.

She pointed at the grey thing.

"That's…" Deco began, " _Chicago_ ," he whispered.

He reached out and put a hand on the grey orb in the center. "But she's barely alive." _Like me,_ he almost added, but didn't.

"Correct," a deep voice with a heavy Chicago accent said from the shadows. Hiraki gripped Deco's hand tightly, ready for him to change to a sword if necessary.

"But it's not a she," the voice continued, stepping out of the shadows. Hiraki communicated without saying anything, and Deco was a sword. The creature that had been speaking had a pigeon's head and a man's body. He had on a shirt that said "I heart (this was a picture) Chicago," and a gangster hat like Deco's except all black, no teal ribbon. He had a gangster pinstripe coat on that was unbuttoned. He was smoking what looked like the Sears Tower and had only one shoe. His pants had the sports team symbols of Chicago from the twenty-first century embroidered on the sides and pockets shaped like Lake Michigan. He had massive pigeon wings and a staff crossed behind his back tipped with the John Hancock building. His orange pigeon eyes stared sideways at the two curiously.

"Who are you?" Hiraki asked through gritted teeth, raising up Deco in front of her.

The thing tilted his head sideways like a pigeon. Well, it was a pigeon after all, wasn't it?

"Chicago's a he. Who a'e you two?" the thing asked.

" _Who_ are _you_?" Hiraki asked again.

"I should explain ma'self. I'm Chicago's gua'dian, Jean. About my appearance…well…you see, every city has a gua'dian. Our appearances and ways of speaking depend on ou' city. Ya' see, everything about me says Chicago. Even my wings have the city's map on the unde'side of them."

He opened his wings, and sure enough, an extremely detailed map of Chicago was inscribed beneath.

"So, why a'e you two he'e? Have ya' killed the witch? I don't sense her," the Guardian said.

"Yes sir, we did. We came to wake up Chicago," Hiraki explained. "We need a powerful enough soul to activate this magic tool to take us back to the future where we come from."

"Magic tool? Ain't those dangerous?" Jean asked in disbelief.

"Yes, but we believe we can get home using it," Hiraki quickly answered.

The Guardian pondered this.

"Ya' can," he finally answered. "Ah' gotta' help ya' though. Come he'e."

Hiraki obeyed.

"Hand it ove'h."

"N…Can…can we trust you?" Hiraki asked.

"Yeah. Of co'se you can!"

Hiraki frowned but handed over the key.

The Guardian grinned. "Now, all Ah' gotta' do is wake Chicago up!"

He padded over to the soul and gently prodded it. "Chicago. Chicago! It's time to wake up!"

Slowly, slowly, the soul warmed up. Sooner or later it was bright and glowing, full of life.

Hiraki had never seen such a thing before and stared at it in awe. Deco, however, was amazed at how full of life a city's soul could be. He'd seen Chicago's before, but now, now!, it was what it should be!

"So…how does the tool work?" Hiraki asked.

"Ah, it's difficult," Jean said. "The one with the powe'ful soul has to soul resonate with the device in o'der fo' it to work. The problem, howeve', is that the device will take with it any who resonate with it. So that means that Chicago and I have to cut out the resonance at exactly the last minute. He'e's another problem, we have to team resonate with each other because the tool won't take anyone separately, it'll only take us as a group. Somethin' about not bein' able ta' handle that kinda' stuff. That also means you's need to resonate with Chicago, a city. This is a very dangerous move. Is this a risk you'e willin' ta' take?"

Hiraki paused to consult Deco. "Is it, Deco?"

"Yes," he responded. "Yes it is. I'd do anything to get you home. Don't mind my injury."

"O…okay. Okay! Yes, Jean, we will do it! It is a risk we are willing to take!" Hiraki answered.

"Then let's begin. Ah'll resonate with Chicago, you resonate with your weapon. What's his name?"

"I'm Art Deco Gabriel," Deco said, forming back into a human.

"And I'm Hiraki. Yo, Deco! Let's do this!" Hiraki said. "But wait, there's one last thing I need."

"Yes?" Jean asked.

"Could you send a letter to Death the Reaper in Death City a month from now in the future telling him we'll be away for a month?"

Jean thought a bit, figuring out the request, then nodded. "Sure can do. Well let's begin. Chicago, ya' ready?"

The soul quivered and pulsed.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" the four screamed at once.

The pigeon headed dude and Chicago linked flawlessly. Briefly, Hiraki wondered what Chicago looked like on the outside, but she was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt the familiar tug of Deco's soul as they resonated, aligning perfectly.

"Will you be okay Deco?" Hiraki asked in concern.

"Y…yeah. I will. Don't worry about me," he answered.

Jean had become bigger. His staff was glowing brightly and his wings were spread wide. The heart on his "I love Chicago" shirt was glowing brightly as so was his Sears Tower cigar.

Chicago was a bright orb of glowing light.

"Hiraki!" Jean shouted, "Resonate with us!"

"Yes!" she replied, then to Deco asked, "You ready? Let's do this! We're going home!"

Deco and Hiraki reached out for the more powerful souls of the Guardian and city. They found them and connected with some difficulty. Jean and Chicago's souls were much too powerful! But finally, if briefly, Deco and Hiraki aligned with them, Hiraki worried along if Deco could take it. Now that the four were connected, Jean brought out the magic tool and nodded. All four, now one, reached for the tool. With a shock of power, the four connected. If Jean and Chicago's souls were powerful, then the tool's was off the scale.

Jean uttered a few words before throwing the tool into the air.

"Now!" he shouted. "Don't let go of each other! We'll see you in the future!"

With that, Deco felt a pull as he and Hiraki were dragged to the future, the slash from Florence's shadow screaming in pain. There was a brief flash of light, a bending of time and space, and they were home.

The pigeon headed Guardian stared at them in confused shock. "Whe'e did you two come from?"

"The past," Deco said. Funny, his injury wasn't hurting anymore.

"Deco?" Hiraki squealed. "Are you okay?" She put a hand on his chest, surprised to find no tear in the fabric of his jacket, surprised to feel how warm and alive he was.

"Yeah. I don't feel the pain anymore. It's…it's gone. Well…that's good."

"Ah! Ah' get it! I think…" Jean exclaimed, interrupting. "You'e Deco, am I right? And she's Hiraki! I see you's made it. Well, guess you bette' be on yeo' way then."

Hiraki turned and nodded in agreement, smiling. She turned back to Deco again.

"Yo, dude, we're back. Like back back!" she said, grabbing him by the hand, gripping it hard.

"Thanks Jean, Chicago!" she continued, waving. "We'll see you again sometime!"

They left. They navigated corridors up into a busy metro station never separating. Fortunately, they didn't run into any more cockroaches. Finally, they reached the surface, hitting sunlight. Hiraki grinned a welcome to the twenty-first century skyline of Chicago, complete with the Sears tower and the John Hancock building. The cars were normal, the air clean. The men didn't wear suits, and the women didn't all wear dresses. Hardly anyone smoked. This was a thriving city, a proper city.

Deco, however, could only shake his head. He was back to the future, back to the world of electric light and civilization. Gone were the gas guzzling cars and the smokey skies. No one was dressed properly, and people of all colors roamed the streets in agreement. This was the future, he thought. If only Al could see this. If only Florence. They didn't know anything.

Hiraki and Deco took a plane (a plane!) home to Death City. They arrived at Shibusen, their school, and immediately reported to the Reaper. He recognized them immediately.

"Hiraki," he said in his comical voice, "I received your message. What was the problem? And Deco, come up here and face me like a man."

Deco, who had an ingrained fear of his reaperness because of his status with Al Capone as the enemy, dragged himself forward and curled up next to Hiraki who didn't even as much roll her eyes.

"He's got this creepy clown face!" Deco whined. "I don't like clowns! His old appearance was better!"

Death gave an expression of disbelief and exasperation.

"Sorry about Deco, your reaperness, I think he'll get over it," Hiraki apologized. "We were sucked to the past when we went and visited Chicago to get rid of that witch you wanted removed. We also managed to find a magic tool."

"Oh?" Death questioned. "Which one?"

"The one that brings you back to the future. We were successful in killing the witch and activating the device. That's how we got back. Also, I sent the message via Jean, the Guardian of Chicago, from the 1920s. Being Death, I do suppose you've met him."

"Yes, yes I have. You're a smart girl Hiraki."

"Th…Thank you, your reaperness."

"Your welcome. Now," he clapped his massive hands. "I do suppose you took the witch's soul, didn't you? That means you only have seven more demon souls to go and Deco becomes a Death Scythe, right? Well, congratulations. Now, you two go on your way. Chix has been bugging me about your absence."

"Yes your reaperness," Hiraki replied politely and turned to leave. "Come on Deco, we're going home!"


	4. Chapter 4 - Home

They were in their apartment. Chix, Hiraki's living aqua Volvo 240 was overjoyed to see them, but reluctantly left them alone to do their thing.

Hiraki was marveling at the fact that everything worked properly. Deco dragged himself to the rooftop patio to soak in the sun and think about the adventures they'd had. Presently, Hiraki crawled up and joined him.

"Sure is nice to feel the sun," she said, standing next to him. The sun hang high in the sky, grinning like a maniac. For once, it had sunglasses on.

"Yeah," Deco responded, fidgeting. "Was what you said, you know…true?" he asked, "You know, about you…liking me?"

There was silence as Hiraki stared at the sun as it chuckled ominously. She flickered her gaze back to Deco. "Yeah…Yes."

"Mm. I wasn't lying either," Deco responded quietly.

Hiraki smirked at him. "I guess we'll just have a better resonance then!"

"Yea…what? Is that all that's about? You want to make me feel better so that we're more powerful? Hiraki! You idiot!" he laughed.

"No, child! I was just joking. Heh. Although now that you think about it…" She smiled her lopsided smile again, softening inside as she saw his expression melt, before saying, "Kidding."

Deco grinned back before reaching out and pulling her into a hug.

It was Hiraki's turn to be surprised. Her eyes widened, then softened, then twinkled, and she returned the embrace.

"Yeah, you're an idiot," she muttered. "But your my idiot."

"I belong to no one," Deco replied simply, holding Hiraki tighter, resisting letting her go. But he finally did and trotted down the stairs to the apartment below.

"I'm getting cereal!" he shouted an explanation. "That's one the thing the 20's didn't have!"

Hiraki face-palmed. "You and your cereal," she muttered before trudging after him with a mile wide grin on her face. God, he was the best partner she could have ever asked for.


End file.
